Anime is home to many unique personalities, one of which is the type who actually displays little to zero levels of emotion. Deadpan characters (often referred to as "kuudere") can have a soft side underneath, but their outsides can be direct, apathetic, and rather cynical.
A lot of these characters are actually pretty witty, and their bluntness can lead to some pretty well-timed and hard-hitting burns. "It's always the quiet ones," after all.
10 Yu Is A True Wildcard (Persona 4: The Animation)
The protagonist of Persona 4: The Animation, Yu Narukami, starts off rather quiet and a little standoffish, but as time goes on, and he's able to get close to people, his general attitude and range of emotions change. That being said, Yu had a long way to go before getting to that point, and he stays pretty deadpan for a while.
Despite the ridiculousness of his friends like Yosuke, Kanji, or Teddie, Yu is usually the one who stays stone-faced during it or just goes with the flow, though with a rather blunt comment here and there. His deadpan wit actually reached its peak when he believed he was drunk once.
9 The Calculated Brutality Of Shizuku (My Little Monster)
Shizuku Mizutani from My Little Monster is only really focused on getting good grades and as such, her attitude towards anyone who tries to get in the way of that is rather scathing. While her social skills and emotions get better after meeting Haru, she spends most of the series as cold as ice, and her sharp wit makes her sharp tongue all the more deadly.
Shizuku's comebacks aren't just brutally direct but also calculated to hit where it hurts. Though, she's more or less just stating the facts as she sees them, not feeling all too bad if they come off as cold or mean.
8 Sunakawa, Master Of Rejecting (My Love Story!!)
My Love Story!! is all about not judging someone by their appearance. While the series protagonist Takeo Goda looks big and tough, he's actually a big softie underneath, while his best friend Makoto Sunakawa (or just "Suna"), is quieter and less expressive. Despite being popular among the girls, he actually rejects all of them due to how they talk about Takeo.
Suna may not express it, but he's got Takeo's back when he needs it, though he's also not afraid to give Takeo some witty comments to counter his best friend's more over-the-top and boisterous personality.
7 Shoto's Expression Is Cold As Ice, And His Bluntness Is Hot Like Fire (My Hero Academia)
My Hero Academia's Shoto Todoroki runs pretty "hot & cold" just like his Quirk. On the battlefield, Todoroki is powerful and intense. Off the battlefield, he's a lot more reserved. Todoroki is able to express himself, though he's a bit too direct sometimes.
In a sense, Todoroki balances out the more out-there personalities of his class while also being an oddball himself by being unintentionally (and sometimes hilariously) blunt. It's pretty clear socializing isn't exactly his strong suit, but at least he's honest to a fault.
6 Eu's Comebacks Hit Just As Hard On Paper (Is This A Zombie?)
Eucliwood Hellscythe, also known as "Eu," from Is This a Zombie? is a powerful necromancer who may appear cold and emotionless, but does have a kind heart under that exterior. She's so strong that her very words can do damage to whoever hears them. As such, Eu communicates by writing things down on a notepad.
Like the rest of the girls in Ayumu's life, Eu doesn't hold back when it comes to pushing his buttons, and considering Ayumu's crush on Eu, her comebacks end up hitting him where it hurts the most, even when they're just on paper.
5 Mai Is Quiet, Blunt, And To The Point (Nichijou)
Out of Nichijou's main characters, Mai is definitely the hardest to read. Despite being completely expressionless, she seems to love pulling pranks and telling deadpan jokes that confuse people more than anything else. She also seemingly just does things at random, making her even harder to predict.
While most would assume that she balances out her exuberant friends like Yuko and Mio, she's often doing things that are equally weird or weirder than the both of them. She's also sharp with her words, especially towards Yuko and her behavior.
4 Ram's Always Got A Burn Left In The Tank (Re:Zero)
While Rem may be the more popular Re:Zero oni twin for her sweet demeanor and loyalty, Ram's strength lies not only in her magic skills but also in her stone-cold wit. She's actually quite a caring soul, though most wouldn't be able to tell due to her lack of expression and ability to dish out insults like it's nothing.
The list of those Ram doesn't fire insults at is much smaller since she respects very few people. However, no matter the occasion, she seems to always have a burn saved in the tank for Subaru, and she's willing to go below the belt to do the most damage to his ego.
3 Levi's As Deadly With Snark As He Is With A Sword (Attack On Titan)
Attack on Titan's Levi Ackerman is one of the most lethal fighters the Scout Regiment has ever seen, able to take out entire waves of Titans alone. He's not the most sociable or emotional of characters, often coming off as cold to just about anyone. Turns out, Levi's just as deadly with words as he is with his ODM gear.
Whether he's getting some rookie scouts in line or staring death in the face, Levi's without a filter, and he's always got a savage insult for just about anyone that bugs him. And he's bugged pretty easily.
2 Saiki's Got A Psychically Sharp Tongue (Disasterous Life Of Saiki K)
Life as one of anime's most powerful psychics isn't all that it's cracked up to be, at least that's how Kusuo Saiki of The Disasterous Life of Saiki K sees it. With just about every psychic ability under the sun like mind-reading, telekinesis, and even time travel, Saiki's ability to find excitement in life has fizzled out, since his powers sort of ruin it all, leaving him emotionless and deadpan.
Since Saiki can read people's minds, he sees their flaws easier than anyone and as such, he doesn't think much of those around him. Whether it's out loud or in his own head, Saiki has a wicked and well-chosen insult for all the weirdos he ends up meeting.
1 Sakamoto's Comebacks Speak For Themselves (Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto)
The titular Sakamoto of Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto is pretty much the perfect high school student. He's brilliant at everything, whether it's academic, physical, or any other wild special skills. With that perfection, he manages to draw the ire of many of his fellow students, who all try to get back at him out of jealousy.
Yet, despite that, Sakamoto is completely unbothered by anything that's thrown his way, and, most of the time, he never has to say a word to make a comeback. If someone steals his chair, he'll sit in the air. If someone throws water at him, he'll just have an umbrella on standby. In short, he lets his actions speak for him.